God of War (series)
The God of War series is a series of action/adventure games for Playstation consoles. It uses ancient Greek mythological themes, and follows the adventures of a Spartan warrior known as Kratos. Initially staying faithful to the Greek mythos, the series gradually began to take minor, yet noticeable liberties with the mythology in order to further benefit the story. So far, two games have been released for the PlayStation 2, two for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), one for mobile phones, and one for the PlayStation 3 with God War Ascension coming soon. The PlayStation 2 releases were later remastered in HD and ported into one single Blu-ray disc (God of War: Collection), as well as made available for purchase separately on the PlayStation Network. Likewise, the PlayStation Portable games were also remastered and ported on a single Blu-ray disc (God of war: Origins Collection) (the content of God of War: Ghost of Sparta that was previously pre-order exclusive was included as well) and added to PlayStation Network as well. Two games, one from the Soul Calibur series and another from the Mortal Kombat series which features Kratos, plus a novel and a comic series based on the franchise, have also been released. All games of the series have been remastered to create the God of War Saga and it was released on August 28, 2012. With each game, the series gradually darkens in tone, with much more brutal and shocking imagery being shown in the latter half of the series. The series garnered widespread acclaim from gamers and critics alike. The first game in the series is considered "the greatest PS2 game of all time," according to game critics, and the second game was once considered the "swan song" of the PS2 era. The Series Main Series *(PS3) God of War: Ascension *(PSP) God of War: Chains of Olympus *(PS2) God of War *(PSP) God of War: Ghost of Sparta *(Mobile) God of War: Betrayal *(PS2) God of War II *(PS3) God of War III Remastered Ports * (PS3) God of War: Collection ** Remastered ports of God of War and God of War II. * (PS3) God of War: Origins Collection ** Remastered ports of God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. * (PS3) God of War: Saga Collection ** Remastered ports of God of War and God of War II (Disc 1), God of War III (Disc 2), and remastered ports of God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta as downloads. Guest Appearances * (PSP) Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny * (PS3) Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds * (PS3) LittleBigPlanet * (PS3) ModNation Racers * (PS3) Mortal Kombat * (PS3) PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale * (PC) Bit of War Other Media * God of War (Comics) ** Comic book miniseries which takes place after the first game and before the second. * God of War (film) ** Film adaptation of the first game. * God of War (novel) ** Novelization of the first game. Creators *Cory Barlog *David Jaffe *Stig Asmussen *Todd Pappy Developers *SCE Santa Monica Studio *Ready at Dawn *Javaground *Bluepoint Games Overview All games in the God of War series are action-adventure games presented from a third-person camera, with the player in control of Kratos. In each game, save for the last, Kratos' primary weapons are twin blades on long chains that have been embedded in his arms, allowing him to use the blades as hand-held swords or as swung flails. In addition to direct melee attacks, this gives the player a large number of attack combos, triggered by entering sequences on the controller's buttons, similar to fighting games. Certain foes, when weakened, will be marked with a special indicator; at this point, the player can initiate a "finishing move" (or "minigame" as the game refers to) by following a sequence of quick time events that if done properly, will instantly kill the creature, while failing to follow the events may harm Kratos. In addition to the blades, Kratos gains magical artifacts and special weapons that can also be used in conjunction with his other attacks, further expanding the catalog of moves that the player can perform. The games also feature a special meter that is filled as Kratos defeats his enemies. When it is filled, the player can unleash a temporary boost to Kratos' speed and power, among other effects. Outside of combat, Kratos must maneuver through the environment; the blades allow him to climb up certain rock faces or hang from ceilings, and Kratos' strength may be employed to push blocks and other objects in order to complete environmental puzzles. As the player defeats foes, he collects red orbs that act similarly to experience points; at any time, the player can spend red orbs to improve Kratos' skills, weapons and magical artifacts, often gaining new combo moves at specific levels. Numerous chests spread all around will also contain red orbs in addition to green (health) and blue (magic) orbs. There are also special items hidden in chests that, after collecting a number of, will increase certain statistics. Gorgon Eyes increase Kratos' health, while Minotaur Horns or Phoenix Feathers, increase his magic meter. Red orbs can also be found by destroying much of the environmental objects that litter the levels. Key Components There are several elements in each God of War game (except mobile game ''God of War: Betrayal'') that are always present. Besides following the same story, gameplay, and the main character, some features are transferred from one game to another. This includes: Massive Opening Boss Scylla (Ghost Of Sparta), the Colossus of Rhodes (God of War II), and Poseidon and his Hippocampi (God of War III) are encountered several (usually three) times throughout each of the games' opening levels. Argos could be considered the three-staged boss of Betrayal. Every game begins with an epic, multi-staged battle against a large, powerful boss. The Basilisk (Chains Of Olympus), the Hydra (God of War), though they aren't so powerful, they are still large. The latest opening boss in the series so far is Aegaeon, the Hecatonchires, and his numerous hands, infected by Megaera's parasites. Sexual Scenes God of War, God of War II, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta and God of War III all feature Kratos having sexual intercourse with women. The Underworld Also, in each of Kratos' journeys, he visits the realm of Hades (the underworld), but he always eventually escapes back to the surface. *In Chains of Olympus, he was taken there, where he fought Charon, who knocked him off his boat into the pits of Tartarus. *In both God of War and God of War II, he is dragged into Hades after dying at hands of Ares and Zeus, respectively. *In Ghost of Sparta, he made his way into the Mounts of Aroania, while searching for his brother, Deimos. *Finally, in God of War III, after Zeus attacks Kratos and Gaia, the Spartan falls from Olympus to the Underworld, where, after a furious fight, he kills Hades, the ruler of the Underworld. Long Range Weapons *In Chains of Olympus, Kratos can hurl orbs of light at his enemies with the Light of Dawn. *In God of War, he throws powerful thunderbolts using Zeus' Fury. *In Ghost of Sparta, he is able to hurl his spear of the Arms of Sparta. *In God of War and Betrayal, the souls of the Army of Hades can attack enemies from a distance. *In II and God of War III, Kratos wields magical bows, known as Typhon Bane and the Bow of Apollo, respectively. Recurring Characters A meeting with an unfortunate victim of Kratos was implemented to reoccur in four of the main games. *In the first God of War, Kratos dispatches the Sea Captain after taking his Chamber Key, and then re-encounters him in the Underworld, during his escape back to the top. *In God of War II, when the Barbarian King summons his barbarians to fight Kratos, he summons the captain as well. *In God of War III, a note can be found in the underworld, written by the Captain, describing his anger at the Ghost of Sparta. *In God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Kratos destroys Lanaeus' Automaton and frees Thera, causing the volcano under Lanaeus' undertaking to erupt. He is later seen and killed by Kratos in sunken Atlantis. *In the first God of War, Kratos meets the Grave Digger who is digging a grave for Kratos. Later in that game Kratos is pulled out of a hole in the ceiling of Hades by the Grave Digger. In Ghost of Sparta the Grave Digger appears in the end of the game claiming to have one more hole to fill as he buries Callisto. Electric Magical Abilities In God of War, Kratos obtained Poseidon Rage, in God of War II, Cronos Rage, in God of War III game, Nemesis Rage and in God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Eye of Atlantis. Gorgon boss The first game had Medusa, and the second had Euryale. However, the third game did not feature Stheno. This may mean that Stheno may be a boss in God of War: Ascension. Crossover DLC In the platform game Little Big Planet, there is DLC of the God of War series: it includes stickers, soundtracks and 3 character skins; Kratos, Medusa, and a Minotaur. March Releases So far, every game in the God of War series has been released in the month of March, with God of War in 2005; God of War II in 2007; God of War: Chains of Olympus in 2008; God of War III in 2010; & God of War: Ascension in 2013. This is very likely due to the fact that the month of March was commonly associated with Mars, the God of War in Roman myth, otherwise known as Ares in Greek myth. The only exceptions to this were that God of War: Betrayal was released on June 20, 2007 and God of War: Ghost of Sparta was released on November 2, 2010. The Omega Symbol The symbol for Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, has become a primary symbol for the God of War series. It is featured in each main series game's title, throughout the games themselves, and in other media associated with God of War. The symbol is most likely used in the series because the series itself is about "the end" of Greek mythology. God Bosses All the final boss battles in the series are inevitably a battle with the gods, in God of War: Chains of Olympus it is Persephone, in God of War, it is Ares, in Betrayal it is Ceryx, in God of War: Ghost of Sparta it is Thanatos, and in God of War II and III features none other than the king of the Gods, Zeus as the final boss. Multiplayer For the first time in God of War: Ascension, multiplayer matches will be held against other players. This mode is a 4v4 match that is similar to the single-player campaign but instead of playing as Kratos you will play as warriors who choose a god to represent, either Zeus, Hades, Poseidon or Ares. There will also be team-based modes in Multiplayer such as a territory-battle. Gallery Images Godofwarascensionfinalboxart.jpg|God of War: Ascension. 938607 85521.jpg|God of War: Chains of Olympus Gowbox.jpg|God of War. GOWBetrayal.png|God of War: Betrayal Ghost of Sparta -- Alternate Box Art.jpg|God of War: Ghost of Sparta. God of War II NTSC.jpg|God of War II God of War 3 III PS3 Region 1 Canadian.jpg|God of War III. God-of-war-collection-box-full.jpg|God of War Collection. God-of-war-origins-collection-ps3-box-artwork-1-.jpg|The Origins Collection. God of War Saga Cover.jpg|God of War Saga. Videos File:God of War - Most Epic Boss Fights|God of War Boss Fights Site Navigation Category:God of War Series Category:Games Category:Other Media Category:God of War Category:God of War II Category:God of War III Category:God of War:Chains of Olympus Category:God of War:Betrayal Category:God of War:Ghost of Sparta Category:God of War (Comics) Category:God of War:Saga Collection Category:God of War Collection Category:God of War Origins Collection